Death of 4-Year-Old Brooklyn Girl Ruled a Homicide

BROOKLYN — The death of a 4-year-old girl who was found dead in East New York last week has been ruled a homicide — and cops Monday were grilling the toddler's mother and her boyfriend, sources told DNAinfo.com New York.

Halii McCord was found unconscious and unresponsive in the Boulevard Houses at 2156 Linden Blvd. around 11:30 a.m. Nov. 6 with bruises on her body, police said.

The girl's mother, Alicia McLaughlin, and her boyfriend, who has not been identified, were being questioned by police, sources said, but not charged.

McLaughlin's story, which police say is inconsistent, is that the 23-year-old boyfriend struck Halii the night before she was found, because the girl refused to do her homework with him, sources said.

The next morning, the 4-year-old did not wake up, according to sources.

Doctors at Brookdale saw bruises on the girl's head and chest and called police, who took McLaughlin and her boyfriend to the 75th Precinct for questioning, sources said.

Both McLaughlin and the boyfriend have prior arrests, sources said, with a robbery charge for McLaughlin, and a record for the boyfriend stretching back to 2004 that includes assault, disorderly conduct and drugs.

The Administration for Children's Services is also investigating, according to NY1.

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